Facebook has announced to end its Watch Party feature on April 16, 2021. Watch Party is Facebook’s virtual hosting feature that allows users to watch videos together on the platform.
As per Facebook’s Help Center, Watch Party will be discontinued on the said date. This means all posts with a watch party, comments on posts with a watch party, and reactions to those posts or comments will no longer be available after April 16.
Photo credits: Facebook Help Center
However, users may download a copy of their posts, comments, and reactions using the “Download Your Information” tool.
Check out the steps on how to save your copy before the due date:
1. Go to the Facebook menu.
2. Go to Settings & Privacy, and tap the Settings.
3. Tap “Download Your Information” under Your Facebook Information.
4. To add or remove categories of data from your request, click the boxes on the right side of Facebook. To download your watch party data, add the following categories: Posts, Comments, and Likes and Reactions.
5. Select other options, including the format of your download request, quality of photos, videos, and other media, as well as the specific date range of information.
6. Tap “Create File” to confirm the download request.
According to Facebook, after the user made a download request, it will appear as “Pending” in the Available Copies section of the Download Your Information tool. The platform noted that it might take several days for them to finish preparing the download request. Facebook will be sending a notification once the request is ready.
Here’s how to download a copy of the data requested:
1. Go to the “Available Copies” section of the Download Your Information tool.
2. Tap Download and enter your password.
3. Users can also click Show more to view information about their download request, such as the format and when it will expire.
Do note that playlist info, attendee lists, viewer stats, or other people’s comments on the watch parties cannot be downloaded. To learn more about this, visit the Facebook Help Center.
To recall, Facebook had introduced the Watch Party feature in 2018. Watch Party has been a way for people to watch videos on Facebook together in real-time. During Watch Parties, participants can watch videos live or recorded and interact with one another around them at the same moment.
